Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Pampanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $734 a month against $848 in Pampanga, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$734

/mo nomad

Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio and in Pampanga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Baguio and in Pampanga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Baguio versus $848 in Pampanga.

Baguio $734
Pampanga $848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,206 in Baguio versus $1,275 in Pampanga.

Baguio $1,206
Pampanga $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,677 in Baguio versus $1,703 in Pampanga.

Baguio $1,677
Pampanga $1,703

Living in Baguio costs roughly 13% less than in Pampanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Pampanga 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.10 ₱197

$4.05 ₱258

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.95 ₱1,523

$19.99 ₱1,271

19.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱173

$2.84 ₱181

-4.58%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ₱108

$2.38 ₱151

-28.99%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.70

$0.68 ₱43.01

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.55

$0.42 ₱27.01

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱72.4

$1.10 ₱70.2

3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₱122

$2.20 ₱140

-13.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ₱113

$1.71 ₱109

4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₱55.8

$1.10 ₱70.2

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$0.93 ₱59.2

4.30%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$1.94 ₱123

-5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.75 ₱302

$4.23 ₱269

12.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ₱205

$4.02 ₱256

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱446

$7.38 ₱469

-5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ₱164

$2.15 ₱136

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 ₱135

$1.72 ₱109

23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ₱177

$2.12 ₱135

31.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.2

$0.98 ₱62.1

-6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ₱88.4

$1.52 ₱96.6

-8.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.0

$1.57 ₱99.6

-12.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.46

$0.79 ₱50.0

-17.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₱22.27

$0.51 ₱32.12

-31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ₱179

$3.14 ₱200

-10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.99 ₱444

$6.75 ₱429

3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₱48.92

$1.07 ₱68.0

-28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 ₱190

$1.99 ₱126

49.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱16.00

$0.25 ₱15.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.49 ₱921

$13.35 ₱849

8.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₱63.8

$0.79 ₱50.1

26.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.00

$0.20 ₱12.40

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱118

$1.75 ₱111

6.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ₱82.8

$1.26 ₱80.2

3.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-3.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

0.75%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$94.4 ₱6,003

$111 ₱7,045

-14.80%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.64 ₱1,058

$15.45 ₱982

7.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.88 ₱1,963

$25.91 ₱1,647

19.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.58 ₱1,754

$33.85 ₱2,152

-18.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.74 ₱492

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₱300

$4.36 ₱277

8.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,019 ₱64.8K

$255 ₱16.2K

298.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,258 ₱334.3K

$8,918 ₱567.0K

-41.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.98 ₱3,178

$50.3 ₱3,197

-0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.84 ₱2,406

$28.26 ₱1,797

33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,567

$76.3 ₱4,850

-5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 ₱5,072

$59.3 ₱3,769

34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₱24.6K

$424 ₱27.0K

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ₱12.4K

$289 ₱18.3K

-32.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 ₱65.6K

$740 ₱47.0K

39.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.6K

$540 ₱34.3K

-5.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,025 ₱255.9K

$3,976 ₱252.8K

1.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.0K

$2,484 ₱157.9K

-38.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 ₱11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Baguio: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pampanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$195 26.6%

Pampanga

$289 34% 48% $94

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$168 22.9%

Pampanga

$169 19.9% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$142 19.3%

Pampanga

$152 17.9% 7.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$108 14.7%

Pampanga

$96 11.4% 10.6% $11

Eating Out

Baguio

$67 9.1%

Pampanga

$84 9.9% 25.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$37 5%

Pampanga

$43 5% 15% $5.6

Getting Around

Baguio

$18 2.4%

Pampanga

$16 1.9% 8.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Baguio and $424 in Pampanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Baguio vs $20 in Pampanga. Groceries flip the comparison at $168 vs $169, with Baguio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

Same time as Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

15,616

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Baguio Pampanga 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
Pampanga

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Baguio vs Pampanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Pampanga. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,102 in Baguio and $1,272 in Pampanga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Baguio versus $424 in Pampanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pampanga runs roughly 8% less than in Baguio. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $734 per month in Baguio versus $848 in Pampanga – Baguio is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.